Hi everyone- tis me again!
I feel compelled to write about something tonight that I have found to become more of an issue of late. Don't get me wrong it's been going on for an age- hell, I did it when I was desperate- but it's something that worries me so this is why I thought the need to talk about it.
I'm talking about resorting to the "Quick Fix" method.
It's not just with weight loss here it can be about anything and everything- but using weight loss as an example here.
The last few days I have been on a forum I regularly post on and I have seen several threads about wanting to use 2 weight loss plans in one go. So Slimming World with something else- Weight Watchers, a diet where you starve for 2 days a week, slim fast, etcetc.
People asking if it would be ok to do this- to basically use 2 weight loss plans at any one time to get a better weight loss.
When I was at my biggest, I was desperate to lose weight- and simple calorie counting wasn't cutting it- because I would practically starve myself and once I was hungry that was it. It was the same thing when I did the soup diets, shake diets and "sit in a dark room and hope you never have to eat again" diets. They didn't work! Sure I could lose practically a stone in a week but the week after when I started eating again- I put double back on again!
I couldn't grasp the concept of losing weight steadily to be the size I wanted to be. The thought of being a size 12 was such an appealing concept that I wanted to be a size 12 there and then- yesterday if possible! The only way I could have done that was if I say on a bacon slicer or had liposuction! Not practical to say the least.
So this desperation lead to desperate measures- and like I said, I did try everything that would possibly give big losses quickly. If it said I could lose 2 stone in a month then I tried it. I never got that far though and I always ended up bigger, always.
When I found out about Slimming World- the fact that you could eat food and still lose weight- without obsessing about calories, without the need to have a drink instead of a meal I was definitely willing to try it. Especially when someone I was close to was doing it and doing well.
One thing I needed to do was accept that I didn't get fat overnight. It wasn't a sudden thing that I went to bed a size 8 and woke up a size 28. It was YEARS of abuse- food, alcohol, fizzy drinks- it got me to the size I was.
Because it took a while to put it on I had to accept that it was going to take a little while to be where I want to be. That was hard. Because that childish voice in my head was still going "but I want it NOW!" But I joined, I followed the plan and I have actually had some big losses. But like I said on Tuesday, I have had some smaller losses too- 1/2lb, 1lb. They might not be huge in the grand scheme of things but every half pound or pound- they have all added up to nearly 150.
I don't know how long I expected it to take- I think I began to adopt the mindset of "I will get there when I get there" rather than worrying about time frames and deadlines.
People lose weight for different reasons. Some do have time constraints- a holiday or a wedding. The thing is- if you do resort to fast fixes- sure you will lose the weight- but did you want to keep it off? Because you have to work at that too. It's not just "congratulations- you are now a size 12- eat what you like because now you're here it's impossible to put any weight on ever!".
I'm not poo-pooing the meal replacement diets- or weight watchers. I know that different diets and weight loss plans work for others. Slimming World doesn't work for everyone for whatever reason! But what you have to do is work at losing weight and then work on maintaining that weight loss. A lot of people forget about the second bit.
I know of a few what I would call "quick fix" diets have a maintenance plan that you can follow to "ease" yourself into eating food again and can help you get back to eating like a normal person- but I struggle to see how it helps with the most important thing- the issue you had with food in the first place.
I was, and am, a food addict. If a cake is there I ate it- now I just obsessively think about eating it and have some strawberries instead. Slimming World has taught me how to curb this addiction. It's not gone, but it's lessened. I can work on bakery in work and not have to buy 4 baguettes afterwards to scoff on the way home! I am dealing with the reason why I put the weight on in the first place.
It's not just about losing weight- it's about tackling those demons too!
I am glad that it took me as long as it did to lose the weight- which really wasn't slow! It gave me time to adjust, to get used to eating "normally" rather than having takeaways 3 times a day every day. As well as giving me time to adjust to being a smaller size.
It's a journey- not a race. I don't compare my weight losses to others because they don't have my body- we all lose at different speeds- we all have things going on in our lives and we all have things that could affect our weight losses on any given week. So I gave up comparing and focused on my weight loss journey. After all- that is the most important one to me because it's mine!
There are people who have lost a lot more than me- my best friend for example has lost nearly 20 stone. I don't compare to her because I didn't have that to lose in the first place! If I lost 20 stone I would be a little bit dead right now!
So Flutterby's little tips here:
Pick a weight loss plan that suits you- not 2 or 3 at the same time- ONE! Try it for at least a month- 3 would be better. Give it your all. If you want to fanny about then you're not going to get the loss you want- if you do that you can't blame the weight loss plan you're on. If you are not ready to lose weight- if you don't want to or you don't feel like you can commit- then don't. Why waste your money? However I have heard of people who go to the likes of Slimming World just to maintain- even if they aren't where they want to be- I do encourage that- if you think that will help you maintain. That in itself is part of a journey- so use it to your advantage.
Set yourself little goals. Especially if you have a lot to lose like I did. In the beginning 10 stone was what I wanted to lose- I was determined. But after a few weeks I started to focus on every 1/2 stone- bitesized chunks helped stop it be so daunting!
Quick fixes don't work. They help in the short term but life is pretty long sometimes- be kind to yourself and your body- look at maintenance too- not just about the fixing!
It might be a long road guys, but I promise you every step forward, every good choice and good decision you make it will take you closer to your end goal. If you gain- that's ok! As they say "there's no shame in a gain" just don't give up! You haven't failed if you gain- you fail if you give up and stop! So don't fail- don't give up- you ARE worth the time and effort- and it is so worth it- I promise!
Now- enough of me lecturing- quick food diary!
Breakfast- rocky road (3) pineapple, grapes and strawberries with snackpot yog
Break- beans, tomatoes, apple, 2 satsumas, kiwi
Lunch- 3 skinny lizzies (3) 3 bacon, 2 eggs, 2 large mushrooms stuffed with reduced fat cheddar (HEA) and onion, beans and 2 slices wholemeal (HEB). Greek style yog (1/2) for pud
Dinner- chicken, boiled spuds, SW roasties, carrots, peas, green beans and syn free gravy. Pineapple, strawberries and grapes with muller light for pud
Snacks- 2 meringe shells (1 1/2), 2 satsumas, apple, pear.
Syns- 8 1/2 (extra 1/2 syn for dash of milk in coffee in the morning)
HEA- reduced fat cheddar (40g)
HEB- 2 small slices wholemeal bread
Tomorrow is my last shift in work and then a whole week off! And I'm starting my week off with a trip to see my fabulous Twin- for lunch, dinner and a sleep over! Can't wait- much needed twinny time- lots of coffee and a catch up! Then of course it's weigh in Tuesday- I will keep you posted of course!
Now it is time for bed- I'm tired and I just noticed it's nearly 1am!! Thank goodness I'm not in until 7am!
Much Love,
Tanya x
P.S. Don't forget to "like" my Fat Flutterby Page on Facebook! <---at nearly 250 likes now- omg!!
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